Thank You!

We hope you enjoyed attending the 2018 New Jersey Planning Conference. A special thanks to our co-hosts, the Edward J.Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, attendees, speakers, volunteers and sponsors for delivering an exceptional program during our two-day event. We look forward to seeing you next year! Start getting those session submissions ready.

Luncheon Keynotes

Thursday Speaker

The Honorable Sheila Y. Oliver

The Honorable Sheila Y. Oliver became New Jersey’s second Lieutenant Governor on January 16th and will serve as Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs. Ms. Oliver will be responsible for the state’s programs for affordable housing production, fire and building safety, community planning and development, and local government management and finance. To these two positions, Ms. Oliver brings decades of public service including the New Jersey Assembly, where she served for 14 years, including 4 years as Speaker, the first African American woman to hold that post. With change on the horizon, the new administration will be tackling many challenges of interest to the planning community including economic development, affordable housing, transportation, infrastructure and clean energy.

Thursday Speaker

James W. Hughes, Ph.D.

Dr. James W. Hughes is University Professor and the former Dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. He is the Director of the Rutgers Regional Report, which has produced over 40 major economic, demographic, and real estate studies on New Jersey and the broader metropolitan region.

He is a nationally-recognized academic expert on demographics, housing, and regional economics. He is author or co-author of 34 books and monographs and more than 150 articles. Among his books are New Brunswick, New Jersey: The Decline and Revitalization of Urban America (2016) and New Jersey’s Postsuburban Economy, published by the Rutgers University Press, and The Atlantic City Gamble, published by the Harvard University Press.

Friday Speaker

Richard Florida

Richard Florida is one of the world’s leading urbanists. He is a researcher and professor, serving as University Professor and Director of Cities at the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto, a Distinguished Fellow at New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate, and a Visiting Fellow at Florida International University .He is a writer and journalist, having penned several global best sellers, including the award winning The Rise of the Creative Class and his most recent book, The New Urban Crisis published in April 2017. He serves as senior editor for The Atlantic, where he co-founded and serves as Editor-at-Large for CityLab. He is an entrepreneur, as founder of the Creative Class Group which works closely with companies and governments worldwide.

Twitter

#NJPC18

At the NJ Planning Association Conference, OSI’s Abby Weinberg shares tools we’ve developed to target land protection for water quality with municipal and county planners. Kudos to @tlcnj for applying these tools to inform open space plans in 3 #NJ counties! #NJPC18 @Odonata14